Vale to bear some of the burden of half a million pounds of Constituency budget cuts

£480,000 has been taken off Erdington Constituency budget during 2007 by Birmingham Council, as the City struggles to make ends meet. Constituency Director Dave Ellis explained the implications for budget cuts to Councillors from the four wards, (Tyburn, Stockland Green, Kingstanding and Erdington) at the constituency meeting on Monday (19th.)

Birmingham is split into 40 wards, each of which has three councillors. Wards are grouped together in fours to form constituencies. Individual constituencies receive a budget from the main City Council, so that they can manage services on a smaller scale and at a more local level than the City Council could.

Castle Vale is part of Tyburn constituency, and the budget cuts will inevitably affect services in the area. Increased costs at Castle Vale Stadium and Kingstanding Leisure Centre amount to £50,000 more than expected. Castle Vale Library has an overspend of £40,000.

Despite the difficultes, Dave Ellis predicted that the constituency would manage to break even by the end of the financial year in April 2008.

Councillors accepted the need to make cuts, but urged the City Council not to impose further cuts midway through a financial year.

Councillor Penny Holbrook (Stockland Green) told the meeting: “The City Council has overspent by ten million pounds. That is why we are having to make further cuts.”